More than 2.1 million PS4s have been sold worldwide, Sony has announced

Following reports yesterday that the PS4 had become the fastest selling video game console in UK history, Sony has announced that more than 2.1 million PS4s have been sold worldwide.

The company's President and Group CEO, Andrew House, described the milestone as "an impressive and record-setting accomplishment for our company and for our industry", adding that Sony will continue to introduce new features and services to PS4 in the months and years ahead.

"While PS4′s capabilities will continue to evolve, our commitment to gamers and breakthrough entertainment remains steadfast," said House in a blog post . "We believe that videogames represent the pinnacle of artistry and entertainment, and we will work tirelessly to make sure that PlayStation remains the best place to play."

The PS4 launched in North America on 15 November, selling more than one million in just 24 hours. The console is now available in 32 countries worldwide, including Europe and Latin America.

Trade magazine MCV reported yesterday that Sony had sold over 250,000 PlayStation 4 consoles in just 48 hours in the UK, blowing first weekend sales of the Xbox One out of the water. Microsoft is though to have sold 150,000 Xbox Ones in the UK during the first 48 hours after its launch.

However, Microsoft has not announced any official sales figures since its launch weekend, when it said that it had sold more than one million Xbox One consoles in less than 24 hours.

Despite Sony's apparent domination of the console market, some retailers appear to be backing the Xbox One over the PS4 this Christmas. Jonathan Marsh, head technology buyer at John Lewis, for example, said that the Xbox One "will appeal a bit more to our customers in terms of the experience it creates".

Meanwhile, data analyst InfoScout claims that the Xbox One was the highest selling console during last week's Black Friday sale in the US, comprising 31 per cent of total hardware sales.